My last weekend was to say the least AMAZING!! I have to tell you about my little trip to the Shooga Beau. First, as many of you know I fly stand-by because as a past airline employee, I still cannot pay
full fare for flights. It's like shopping at the Pottery Barn. I just can't get over that let me sell a kidney to afford the luxury that I was getting at a discount rate or free. I'd rather sit in L.A. traffic (the kind of traffic where you pull out a board game, and not just any board game, Monopoly, and you still have extra time to play a good round of Yahtzee and wait till you actually get a Yahtzee before the car in front of you starts moving) before I pay full air fare.
So the closest I can get to Nawlins is Austin, so I think who in there right mind will be flying to Austin on New Years Eve? No one! So I list stand-by on the flight with an assured fact that I will be the only one on the plane and this time the in-flight crewmember can't get mad at me when I ask for a cranberry and apple juice (I just love mixing them together) because they will be happy that I saved them from boredom with my presence on the plane.
Well as the days get closer, the flight ended up selling out the day before and then to top it off, there are 10 stand-bys in front of me. I’m start to wonder is Austin the new New York? Have I just been so out of the loop that I have lost all touch with What’s Hot Now reality? I was baffled like a Crimson Tide fan after being beat by the Utes! (More of that later) Even with the flight sold out, Brent and I decide to try for the flight because we can roll over to the next day at a higher priority. After we get to the airport, there was the answer to my
Austin full-flight confusion. The flight was continuing onto Orlando. Arghhh! Of all the flights continuing to Mickey country why mine? Why now?
Well we sit there and watch the flight board and then after everyone had boarded, all 12 stand-by's wait to hear if they miraculously got on. Brent and I were number 11 and 12 on the list. We even parked in the pricey parking lot knowing there was no way we were going to make this flight. When all of the sudden there arose such a clatter, everyone sprang from there seats to see what was the matter. Away through the doors we flew like a flash, she called all stand-by names, hope the plane doesn’t craaaaaash.
All I can say is that god’s hands were involved with getting Brent and I on that flight. Scholars and JetBlue employees still are baffled like a Crimson Tide fan after the 2009 Shooga Beau that we got on that flight. That means 12 people did not show up for that flight, a modern day miracle.
Amanda and Clint were waiting in Austin for us, and I knew that they would be so excited that we made the flight and tears would flow from their eyes as we disembarked from the gate. I see Manda over the horizon as we get off the flight and her first words of excitement to me are "why aren’t you wearing your Utah shirt?" Oh that Sue, such a sweet girl acknowledging the pure miracle of us making that flight.
The second luckiest thing that happened to me was instead of the economy car that I reserved, we got a mid-sized level. It was a smaller SUV like car and it was Ute red. I felt like my luck streak was rolling. The 8 hour drive consisted of traffic lights on highway, Mcdonalds new grilled chicken on a wheat bun, two employees at the Shell gas station saying "yu trippin!" "Naw yu trippin," "I aint da one dats trippin." "Hmmm mmmm you trippiiiin," and songs we played on the iPod to represent 2008.
We all agreed that we did not want to countdown the New Year on the I-10 freeway, so we drove only stopping for gas. We get to the Big Easy and meet up with Nick with 35 minutes to spare. We counted down on Bourbon Street with Crimson Tide fans yelling out Rollll Tide! Once we left the French Quarter, as we walked back to the car guess who found a wod of cash in the middle of a crosswalk? Meeeeeee! $26 bucks. Way to bring in 2009.
The next day we spent most of the day in the French Quarter we won golf
shirts at a fan contest. The competition was who could kazoo their teams fight song the best. The 9 of us slammed the BAMA fans. They did not know who they were up against. Tate's know their fight songs! After the contest, we went to a pep rally at the Marriott hotel to cheer on the football team. I think all 11,000 fans showed up. The energy in that room was amazing I think it was the first time where I felt that we actually had a chance at beating the Tide.
We then had dinner at the Gumbo Shop which has good Gumbo (go figure) and we walked around checking things out. We went into this VooDoo place which had this weird shrine that said “Do not touch will bring bad luck.” Brent almost touched it, so I had to pay a quarter to off-set the bad luck. Brent likes to almost touch VooDoo shrines and wants to get a dog. I keep paying good change out of my pocket for the VooDoo shrines and as far as the dog goes, I suggest a pre-dog test. He should chainsaw the furniture, use the kitchen floor for a spittoon, empty the vacuum cleaner dust bag onto the bed, and go to the bathroom in the yard himself. If at the end of a month he is happy with the way things are, then he can have a dog.
The next day is game day. I start it off by first visiting Brent’s sister and family from Mobile. We met halfway in Mississippi at an IHOP. His little 8 year old nephew got a gun for Christmas (Only in the South), and in a little Southern accent he states "now I gotta fif-tuh-een and uh twun-tee tooo." They were BAMA fans so I can make fun of them a little, but all in all a very sweet and great family.
The rest of the day we spent in the Quarter, had Po- Boy sandwiches and then beignets at Café Du Monde. It was then time to head to the Super Dome.
Knots in our stomachs were apparent, but the excitement of being there took over. We got to the Dome 90 minutes before the game started, but most of the Utah fans were early. Ou
r fans at this game were amazing!!! I was so impressed by our turnout; we were on our feet most of the game and cheered our hearts out. Most of the BAMA fans stated afterwards that they were impressed by our dedication and volume. Those of you who watched the first quarter of the game, no words can describe seeing it in person. People hugged strangers it was like we were all best friends. After we had won 31-17, we went down to the French Quarter and no more Rollllll Tide's were being called out.
The ride back was smooth and much easier than it would have been if we would have lost. We also made the flight going back once again we were 11 and 12 again and barely made it again. After we made the flight, I could officially say that it was the PERFECT weekend.
We have been watching Utah football games over the years through thick and thin, and the fact that all 5 of us got to be together to witness what might be the biggest win in Utah's history was remarkable. Stacy, Dad, Grandma Dickson, Natalie, Snowbird employees JetBlue crewmembers, and others who made this possible, thank you! It was one of the most memorable moments in my life.
